Friday, 28 October 2011

Dirty Projectors & Bjork - Mount Wittenberg Orca

Fans of either Dirty Projectors or Bjork will surely be familiar with this collaborative project by now. Originally written and performed in 2009, it was a year later that 'Mount Wittenberg Orca' was recorded, the delay due to both party's hectic schedules, with Dirty Projectors busy touring breakthrough album 'Bitte Orca'. These seven tracks have been available digitally since June last year with all monies being donated to National Geographic's sustainable oceans program, but they now receive a physical release on CD and deluxe vinyl, with limited signed vinyl available from the Domino Records website.

Given that both artists are known for fusing genres and being proponents of the avant-garde, it's little surprise that they match so well. Neither is it a revelation to find that 'Mount Wittenberg Orca' isn't exactly packed with fist pumping festival sing-along anthems. What's included may pose a challenge to more casual listeners, but it's not without moments of beauty. Bjork's childlike tones add a wide-eyed innocence to the choppy 'On And Ever Onward' and the pulsing 'Beautiful Mother' has an awkward charm with its harsh, piercing bursts and (oxymoron alert) discordant harmony.

There's a dreamlike, fairytale feel to much of the album, but it's rather like a Brothers Grimm fantasy with moments of unnerving darkness. Of course Bjork is no stranger to this sort of imagery, her distinctive voice is perfectly suited to twisted cinematic soundscapes of this kind. The creative juices were certainly flowing when David Longstreth penned these songs and overall it's a winning combination, and at just twenty-one minutes long, one that leaves you wanting more.